Blog Post #2
Writing poetry and writing about poetry feel like two very different things that require very separate mindsets, however, they are extremely beneficial to each other. When I write a poem, I’m usually centering my writing on a particular feeling, image, event, or rhythm. There are also many times I don’t know exactly where it’s going. Writing about poetry, on the other hand, makes me slow down and look closely at how the words, structure, and rhythm are working to create an intended meaning.
Doing both at the same time helps highlight how much writing and writing about poetry overlap. The more I analyze other poems, especially in this class, the more intentional I become with my own writing. In addition, I also find myself experimenting with more diverse techniques, as well as views and forms I wouldn’t normally. Writing this poem assignment helped me better understand what might be going on behind the choices poets make, expanding my knowledge, and further strengthening my own writing.
A large take away from reading and writing poems for the class is how important it is to let these two processes mix. This is especially true for teaching. If students only ever analyze poems, the whole thing can start to feel impersonal or confusing. However, if they only write poems, they might miss out on the craft and techniques that give poetry greater effects and intentions. I think it’s crucial for everyone to try both, teachers and students, so they can understand the creation process and mechanics behind creating poetry. While also learning to notice the details that make writing effective.
Hello Briana,
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting in your post is the way you describe how indeed, writing poetry and writing about poetry are two completely separate processes, but also how they can support each other when both are practiced. While writing poetry, you focus on a certain message or theme, and that you express with certain types of poetic devices. Though what makes your poetry more effective is the careful study of other great works. Like you say, you are forced to slow down and decipher the intended meaning of the poem.
Being intentional with your writing is a surprisingly difficult skill to master in my case. Sometimes I wish to add something because I think it sounds nice or that it rhymes, but then I lose the meaning I am trying to convey. By reading other poets' works, we can see how calculated they are so that each word works to support their message. You can't expect to be a good writer yourself without reading the greats.
Your emphasis on the balance of allowing students to learn from poets and also write their own with the newfound knowledge they have is key. It is the same situation with any other skill or sport, without knowing what has already been done, how can you know you are truly making something new? What I find interesting is that when you learn about every major era of literature, there is always some poet that makes it out for their experimentation and new way of writing that was never seen before. Artists are ever inventing new creations because of their very conscious knowledge of the past.
Great analysis about the merit of both writing poetry and writing about poetry!